The silken voices of the One Equal Music Choir weave among Camerata’s ethereal strings, a repeating descending motif encapsulating the orbiting planets in a gorgeous, kaleidoscopic soundscape that makes for a breathtaking opening to another spectacular concert.

The heavenly Celestial Choral Baroque program features both 18th- and 21st-century pieces, including Ola Gjeilo’s The Spheres from his 2008 Sunrise Mass. In Shakespeare’s era, the “harmony of the spheres” described how music gave the universe order and kept it running smoothly, and how each individual also possessed an internal harmony – balanced by the spheres and maintained through music – necessary for good health.

The 12 choristers of the One Equal Music Choir, founded in 2022 and co-directed by Tomasz Holownia and Eleanor Adeney, represent the best of the Cathedral and Parish choirs across Queensland. The unusual name was inspired by John Donne’s poem Bring Us, O Lord God, embodying a sense of equality for each musician in the ensemble.

Camerata – Queensland’s Chamber Orchestra. Photo © Alex Jamieson

OEM specialises in blending traditional and contemporary works, illustrated by the inclusion of four modern imaginative compositions scattered among Bach’s mighty Orchestral Suite No. 3 and Vivaldi’s Gloria in D. Gjeilo’s magical The Spheres contrasted delightfully with Bach’s magnificent Ouverture, in which the three trumpets blare with the pomposity of a herald announcing that Bach is “in the house!”

Bach’s delicious Air (popularly known as Air on a G String), clichéd by its use in the famous Hamlet cigar advert in the UK, evokes a roaring fire in a cosy library as pizzicato basses creep deliberately beneath strings that moan longingly.

Maria Grenfell’s imaginative Knitting Unicorns (2017) was inspired by her visit to the children’s ward at the Royal Hobart Hospital in Tasmania and composed for the Hush Foundation’s National Composers in Residence Project, which engages with patients at Australian children’s hospitals. The basses and cellos trot along while the violins skip among the clouds, the occasional errant high note adding a magical effervescence to the childlike piece.

Camerata – Queensland’s Chamber Orchestra. Photo © Alex Jamieson

The magic continues with Ēriks Ešenvalds’ Stars (2011), with the choristers giving the audience a delightful surprise by mimicking celestial harmonics on tuned glasses, running their fingers around the rims as they sing. The task – akin to patting your head while rubbing your tummy – is executed faultlessly. The crystalline tones chime in harmony with the choir’s setting of a 19th-century poem by Sara Teasdale, while the strings delicately emphasise the cadence.

An emphasis on light recurs in Pēteris Vasks’ evocative Dona Nobis Pacem (2017). The composition is a quiet plea for reconciliation, emphasising harmony and using the Latin Mass text from the Agnus Dei. Vasks describes music as “the most powerful of all the muses” and seeks to use sound to “uphold a beam of light” as a representation of the soul.

After an ominous opening of slow, measured strings, the choir brings a glimmer of optimism with complex, Gregorian-styled harmonies, directed by Camerata’s Artistic Director, Brendan Joyce. The poignant plea for peace is reiterated passionately, a crescendo of repeating phrases from voices and strings drawing the piece to a pensive yet hopeful end.

Camerata – Queensland’s Chamber Orchestra. Photo © Alex Jamieson

Vivaldi’s renowned Gloria in D has both the choir and Camerata delivering the sacred work at full throttle. Janet Brewer appears to vigorously stroke the harpsichord’s keyboard, making it purr like a kitten. The trumpets shine in the opening and closing movements, while oboist Sarah Young delivers a lovely solo alongside fine solos from sopranos Jenny Gunnarson and Madeline Gibbs as well as contralto and Artistic Director Eleanor Adeney.

The rapturous applause is well earned after such an energetic program of chamber music spanning three centuries in the final concert of Camerata’s glittering 2025 season. An exciting 2026 season is also launched, inviting audiences to “step into a world where music breathes without boundaries”, with another diverse program of soundscapes shimmering with imagination.